


Interpose

by yukulele



Category: Magi (Manga), Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-06
Updated: 2012-11-06
Packaged: 2017-11-18 02:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukulele/pseuds/yukulele
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conversation between Judal's declaration of war and the dawn of the next day. It's between a King and his General, but the darkness reveals a different outline, perhaps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interpose

“Why did you let him go?”

“What do you mean?”

The evening had descended swiftly, the hours and daylight slipping away before they could notice, busy with repairing that torn barrier and reorganizing their security. Ja’far brushed off any offer of medical aid until night had set in, and everyone else had gone to rest. He was used to treating himself and that’s how Sinbad found him, washing the dried blood out of his silver hair. Declining even Sinbad’s offer to help, he bound the superficial gash on his own before dropping the question.

“I mean, you just let Judal walk out of here.”

“Was I supposed to detain him?”

“You could have,” Ja’far said stubbornly, although the difference between could have and was-that-really-a-good-idea was quite apparent, he couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful. “He could stand to learn some manners.”

“The same could be said for you,” Sinbad teased, “You should know better than to get in fights you can’t win.”

Ja’far kept his expression controlled and passive, even if the words burned beneath the skin. “I will comport myself better next time,” he said flatly.

“C’mon, don’t be too mad about it. I was trying to keep the situation under control.”

“You did a wonderful job, fearless leader,” Ja’far intoned, wrapping the red cords around his arms over the new bandages carefully. “So that’s why you let him go? To avoid more collateral damage. That’s all?”

“Can’t imagine anything more to it. What, would you have liked it if I had confined  
him here, to ruin more of my palace and piss off our newly declared enemy?”

“We could have used him, isn’t that your favorite strategy?” Ja’far said quietly, staring defiantly back at him. Sinbad could see traces of the impertinent teenager Ja’far had grown out of, but never quite completely left behind.

“Some things just aren’t worth the trouble.”

“If you say so,” he bristled, still stinging from the result of that humiliatingly one sided fight- if one could even call it that. Being so starkly outclassed in front of the entire court- not to mention Sin- dyed his mood a brackish hue. But then again, Sin probably expected things to turn out that way. What must the world look like from the heights upon which he stood? Ja’far accepted many years ago that he would never come to know, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t hate being left behind.

“I do. So don’t worry about it, alright? Things will sort itself out in the end.”

Ja’far took that as Sin keeping his hand hidden for now, even from his closest advisors. That’s how he always played, and over time he had gotten used to it. Only occasionally it hurt- like now, perhaps with the combination of insult and injury. 

They said their goodnights and parted ways, Sinbad taking the winding steps up to his chambers at the top of the tower. The lights of the city below were a small, closing comfort to the strain of the day. At least the citizens could rest easier knowing little of the machinations of the world that ticked on, but for the select few, sleep rarely came so easy.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a very brief thing I did before, for curiosity's sake.


End file.
